cmrosensAuthor Spotlight: Queer West Asian Fantasy author Fetin Sardaneh
Fetin Sardaneh (she/they) is a Palestinian and Kurdish author born in the UK. They write stories rooted in cultural memory, resistance, and queer joy. The Jinn’s Bargain is their debut novel.
AUTHOR LINKS:
Website: fetin.carrd.co
IG: @fetinsardaneh
Read a Sample of The Jinn’s Bargain:
Sample on Wattpad
Pitch for Book Clubs/Readers:
The Jinn’s Bargain is a West Asian epic fantasy, filled with chaotic sultans and tea-loving jinn.
Your novel The Jinn’s Bargain is out now, with a sequel coming soon! Let’s talk about the titular jinn first of all. Can you briefly explain what the jinn are to readers who might not be very familiar with them?
Jinn are supernatural beings that show up in stories across the wider Muslim world. In the West, they’re often flattened into the ‘genie’, but that version does a disservice to their origins. They’re ancient and powerful, with a society of their own and an agenda that doesn’t revolve around humans. They don’t exist to serve us, and they certainly don’t grant wishes for free; a bargain with a jinn is always a trade… but is it ever worth the price?
The novel was inspired by Turkish, Kurdish, Arab, and Persian folklore, beyond the jinn element common to Islamic belief; what elements of these folk traditions did you use in The Jinn’s Bargain, and was there anything you wanted to use but couldn’t include in this first book? (And will it appear in other books?)
Beyond the jinn, I drew on the kinds of folkloric beings and stories, like the biçura and the gulyabani. I also leaned into protective folk practices and charm logic: the idea that names, offerings, talismans, wards, and small rituals serve an important purpose. There was definitely more I wanted to include, but Book One already had a lot of moving parts, so I saved some things for later. As the series goes on, I can’t wait to bring in more creatures and visit other realms—and I’m especiallyexcited to introduce angels!
Introduce us to your FMC, Esin Sultan – where did she come from as a concept, and how did she develop as a character as you were writing? What about her love interest, Zinar – what did you enjoy most about pairing these two sapphics?
Esin started as a very specific concept in my head: a sultan who’s loud, makes reckless choices, and is incredibly dramatic. But the more time I spent with her, the more her humour became a shield with dents in it. She loves hard, commits fast, panics easily, and would sacrifice herself to keep her loved ones safe.
Zinar was born from the kind of character I can never resist: disciplined, and allergic to spectacle. She’s a Mîrzade who shows up through actions rather than speeches. Pairing them was a joy because the push-and-pull is constant: a classic black cat x golden retriever dynamic (very Wei Wuxian/Lan Zhan-coded!). Simply put, Esin is all impulse and radiance; Zinar is restraint and devotion.
Let’s talk about the setting for the novel – what inspirations, research, and experiences went into creating this world, and what challenges did you face during your worldbuilding process?
For the setting, I drew heavily from pre-modern Anatolia and its neighbours, then built a secondary world on top of that so it could feel familiar without being a copy-paste of real history. A lot of my research was a mix of genuine study and very enjoyable procrastination: I watched an embarrassing number of Turkish historical dramas, then fell into rabbit holes on court etiquette, dynasties, succession, and how hierarchy actually moves through a palace.
The biggest challenge was Kurdish history. So much is erased, contested, or filtered through biased sources, so it took extra work to read critically. I cross-checked what I could, and leaned on Kurdish scholars and historians where possible.
Queer joy, resistance, and cultural memory are key elements of your work; can you tell us a little bit about why these elements are so important and central in your writing, and in particular, what do you want readers to encounter when they turn the pages?
A big part of why I wrote The Jinn’s Bargain is simple: I wanted to read a book like it, but I couldn’t find it. Magical fantasies aren’t as mainstream in Turkey, and queer themes are often censored. Kurdish representation is also scarce, and when it does appear it’s too often framed through a negative lens. When readers turn the pages, I want them to step into a world where people like us exist fully: complicated, powerful, messy, funny, loved, and worth writing legends about.
Can you share the premise for Book 2, and give us an idea of when it might be out?
The Stormcaller’s Lament takes everything you thought was devastating in The Jinn’s Bargain and proves it was only the warm-up. The grief hits harder, and the stakes escalate fast!
Esin, Selim, and Zinar are still dealing with the political fallout from Book One, while a much darker threat begins to reveal itself. Readers will also step deeper into the jinn realm and get to explore its strange bureaucracy. I don’t have a locked release date yet, but I’m aiming for late summer to early autumn.
Add to Goodreads #AuthorInterview #AuthorSpotlight #fantasyBooks #nonbinaryAuthor #queerAuthor
Jascha
River J. Hopkins
Rachel Handley
Jacqueline Ramsden